Filling machine



May 28 1940.

R. J. STEWART ET AL FILLING momma Original Filed Aug. 14, 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 1 g /oe/fffiewwzi M11526 .7. I a v May 28, 9- R. J. STEWA'RT ET AL FILLING MACHINE ori inal Filed Aug. 14, 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 2 I III/Ill],

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FILLING MACHINE original Filed Aug. 14, 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 3 nu A 82 i o o 75769.3. fieff fjfeu/ami 4 May 28; 1 940.

R. J. STEWART El Al.

Hume ncnrn original'rnad' Au 14, 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 May 28. 1940- R. J. STEWART ET AL FILLING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 14. 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 8 M y 1940- R. J. STEWART gr VAL 2,202,033

FILLING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 14, 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 10 J. STEWART Er AL V May 28, 1940.

' FILLING MACHINE- flrigina l Filed-Aug. 14, 1934 13 Sheets-.Sheetll Maize, 1940.

J. STEWART r AL 2,202,033

FILLING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 14, 1934 15 Sheets-Shes; 12

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FILLIHG MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 14, 1934 13 Sheets-Sheet 13 gnwcm'fow 290mm .f.

Patented May 28,

UNITED STATES FILLING MACHINE Robert J. Stewart and Wlitle I. GiadielterL Baltimore, Md, assignors to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of New York Griginal application August 14, 1934, Serial No. 739,818. Divided and this application February 27, 1937, Serial No. 128,300

20 Claims.

The present invention relates to filling machines and, more particularly, to a machine for bottling beer, the present application being a division or our application for a Filling machine, Serial No. 739,818, filed August 14, 1934.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved lifting mechanism for moving the bottle supporting platforms and the bottles carried thereby to the filling heads.

Bottling machines ordinarily include a rotary filling table which is provided with a plurality of bottle supporting platforms. The filling table rotates adjacent a stationary work table and during the movement of the filling table past the stationary table, bottles are moved upon the bottle supporting platiorms'and into alignment with the filling nozzle provided above each filling platform. Immediately thereafter, the bottle platform is raised so that the bottle will surround the filling nozzle and will come into contact with the undersurface of the filling head of that nozzle. The arrangement generally used to raise a bottle supporting platform. comprises a coil spring. During the movement of a bottle platform adjacent the stationary table, this coil spring is contracted by the -engagement of a roller or the like with a stationary cam, this engagement causing the bottle platformto be moved downwardly so that its upper surface will be flush with the surface of the stationary table. platform moves away from the stationary table, as described above, the roller upon the platform moves out of engagement with the cam track and the spring expands to move the platform upwardly.

A very important difiiculty which results from the use of a coil spring to control the position of the bottling platforms is that the coil spring naturally exerts less pressure at its stage of greatest expansion, yet, at this stage, the coil spring must exert sufiicient expansive force to firmly hold the mouth of the bottle in contact with the underside of the filling head. Assuming that the spring is of such design as to be capable of exerting this pressure, it results that when the spring is contracted to hold the bottle platform in the downward position which it occupies when moving adjacent the stationary table, a tremendous force will then be exerted by the spring. It naturally follows that the very considerable resistance of the spring toward movement to a compressed or retracted position will tend to retard rotation of.

the filling table. That is to say, when the roller of a bottle platform first comes into contact with the cam track which causes it to be moved down- When the bottle wardly, the rotary movement of the filling table will be opposed by the resistance of the vertically extending spring to compression by the downward movement of the roller. This necessitates that the motor used to operate the filling machine be of sufiicient horsepower to overcome the retarding efiect of the bottle platform springs.

In order to meet the requirements of the bottling' trade, it is necessary that filling machines be so designed that they may be used to fill bottles of all standard sizes. When bottles of. larger sizes are being 'filled, the bottle platforms must naturally move a greater distance to position the mouth of the bottle against the filling head and the coil spring which moves the bottle platform upwardly is therefore expanded to a much greater extent than it is when a smaller bottle is positioned upon the platform. ,This is due to the fact that the filling nozzle in every instance should reach almost to the bottom of a bottle and filling nozzles of different lengths must be used according to the size of the bottle being filled. A larger bottle must therefore move downwardly to a lower position to clear the lower end of the nozzle and must move upwardly a greater distance to engage the upper end of the nozzle. Smaller bottles, on the other hand, need only move a distance necessary to clear and engage a correspondingly shorter nozzle. Since the spring is not fully expanded when operating with small bottles, it of course exerts more force-to hold such a bottle against the filling head. than it exerts to hold a larger bottle in position. Nevertheless, the spring must exert sufiicient force to hold a larger bottle tightly in contact with the filling head and, if the spring is capable, at its point of greatest operative expansion, to exert such force, the force exerted by the spring when in entirely retracted position is very substantial. Dueto difiiculties arising in the manufacture of coil springs, some may not entirely meetthe requirements discussed above, and if the spring is not of sumcient strength to hold the bottle in sealed contact with .a filling head, the contents of that bottle are naturally not of proper strength.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting the bottle supporting platforms or filling machines, which mechanism will exert a uniform and proper upward pressure upon each platform and which may be operated'to move a platform to retracted position without any substantial resistance to rotary movement of the filling table.

In its preferred embodiment, the lifting mechanism of the present invention is fluid-operated and includes a means for maintaining pressure bottle platforms are constantly in communication with a fiuid pressure circuit and it therefore results that when one platform is moved downwardly by reason of its engagement with the cam, the fluid in its chamber will be distributed in the circuit to raise a platform which is at that mo-- ment moving out of engagement with the cam track and away from the stationary table.

An advantage resulting from the use of fluidoperated platforms is that the pressure maintained in the circuit of the system may be varied, to suit filling pressure conditions.

It has heretofore been proposed to operate the bottle supporting platforms of filling machines by fluid pressure, but these prior arrangements have been expensive to manufacture since they have included a great number of valve parts. In one form of a prior fluid-operated platform lifting mechanism, each platform is raised by fluid pressure acting upon one side of a piston fixed to the platform, the platform being lowered by fluid pressure acting upon the opposite side of the piston. The fluid supplied to one side of. the piston to move it in one direction is exhausted at the conclusion of that stroke of the piston so that the piston may then be moved by the pressure supplied to the opposite side. In some instances, this type of platform lifting means has the fluid pressure supply controlled by the filling valve aligned with each platform. This arrangement has been unsatisfactory because the lubricant contained in the platform lifting fluid supply passages works between the faces of. the filling valve and into the beer passages of the filling valve, resulting in contamination of the beer. In any event, the provision of a fluid-operated system in which the fluid is exhausted at each end of a piston stroke results in a considerable expense in the operation of the machine. Also,

since valves must be provided for each platform, such systems include a great number of working parts which are entirely eliminated by the arrangement of the'present invention.

In another prior form of fluid-operated platform lifting mechanism, the platform is moved upwardly by the fluid pressure, this fluid pressure being exhausted when the platform moves adjacent the stationary table so that the platform will'drop by gravity. A serious difliculty of this type of mechanism results from the fact that it is possible, in such a mechanism, for beer to seep into the cylinder in which the piston moves, forming a gummy substance which seriously interferes with the movement of the piston. This difllculty is naturally particularly serious in a construction wherein the piston and platform are intended to drop by gravity.

In the present invention, each platform preferably includes a depending sleeve which entirely encloses and covers the upper end of the fluid chamber so that any beer which leaks from the filling heads will merely fiow down about the outer wall of the sleeve and cannot reach the space between the sleeve of the platform and,

the surface on which it moves.

aaoaoss Still another object of the invention is to provide a filling head which is so constructed that there will be a minimum possibility of foaming of the beer during the filling operation.

In the operation of filling bottles with beer by a filling machine, it is usual to first move the filling valve to counter-pressure" position wherein the interior of the bottle will be in communication with the counter-pressure air in the upper portion of the filling tank so that the pressure in the bottle will be the same as the pressure in'the tank. The filling valve is then moved to filling position to permit the beer in the tank to flow into the bottle, the filling valve, at the same time, establishing communication between the bottle and the upper portion of the filling tank so that the counter-pressure air in the bottle may return to the filling tank. The valve is subsequently moved to a third position, "neutral or closed position, in which the bottle will be entirely out of communication with the filling tank and, when the valve has been moved to this position, the filling nozzle will be removed from the bottle and the latter opened to atmosphere.

Valve trips are spaced about the path of travelof the bottle with beer will terminate at substantially the same moment that the filling valve engages the neutral trip. The principal purpose of this arrangement is to prevent too great a quantity of beer from flowing to the bottle, since any amount of beer above the capacity of the bottle will flow upwardly in the relief passage through which air is exhausted from the bottle to the filling tank during the filling stage, unless the filling valve is moved to neutral or closed position at the instant that the bottle has been completely filled.

However, in actual practice, due to extremely slight differences in the shapes and sizes of the fiow passages, beer flows through some of the passages and filling heads more rapidly than through others. As a result, beer will flow to some of the bottles at a somewhat more rapid beer flows most rapidly will therefore receive a quantity of beer in excess of their capacity, the

surplus movim upwardly into the counter-pressure relief passage. Also, all bottles, even of a given size, do not have identical capacities, and if a particular bottle is of a capacity less than standard, surplus beer will flow from that bottle upwardly into the counter-pressure relief passage. The beer which flows upwardly into the counter-pressure relief passage during the filling stage will be retained in that passage by the sub sequent movement of the filling valve to neutral or closed position, and, after the filled bottle has been removed, this beer will flow down into the empty bottle which is subsequently placed under the filling head of that passage when the filling valve is moved to a position to establish counterpressure in the new bottle.

In the filling heads heretofore provided, any surplus beer which may be present in the countar-pressure passage of a filling head is ejected from that passage with some force and since the counter-pressure passage usually terminates at the mouth of the bottle, the ejected beer falls the entire length of the bottle. The impact of this beer with the bottle is very apt to cause it to foam and when additional beer is flowed into the bottle, during the immediately subsequent filling stage, the foaming may continue, preventing the bottle from being properly filled.

The mouths or outlets of the filling head counter-pressure passages provided by the present invention are so arranged that any surplus beer ejected from the passages will move downwardly, at a quiet rate of flow, along the inner walls of the bottles, instead of dropping directly down into the bottles, thereby preventing foaming.

In flowing upwardly through the counter-pressure relief passages as described above, the beer will only rise in these passages to the level of the beer in the central reservoir. -In the present machine, the length of these passages between the filling heads and the reservoir is of minimum extent and the passage itself is of a small diam-,

eter so that only a very small quantity of beer ,can move into the passage.

for operating the filling valves to their various positions may be adjusted with respect to the path of movement of the filling table. This adjustment permits the filling cycle to be very accurately controlled by the bottling plant operator and, furthermore, permits the machine to be correctly adjusted for the filling of bottles of filling trip and the neutral trip.

Another object of the invention is-to provide a filling valve which is so constructed that wear of the packing between the filling valve body and the moving filling valve disc will be substantially eliminated.

The point at which wear is most apt to occur is at the portions of the packing opposite which valve ports contain some moisture, this moisturethe ports of the moving valve disc are positioned when the valve disc is at neutral position. .This wear occurs because of the fact that when the valve disc is in neutral position, its ports are aligned with a blank area of packing. Since the is very apt to result in a swelling of the packing opposite the ports. The face of the moving valve disc closely engages the packing and, as a result,

the movement of the valve disc frequently causes the portion of the packing which is swollen and protrudes into the passages of the valve disc to be sheared by the edges of the valve disc ports upon movement of the disc. Fragments of the packing thereby become positioned in the valve passages and form an obstacle to fiow through these passages.

In the filling heads of the present invention,

the packing between the filling head valve body and the moving valve disc is cut out at the areas fof the packing which will be in alignment with the ports of the valve disc when the valve disc is in neutral position and these cut-out portions of the packing are preferably filled with hard plugs having their outer surfaces substantially flush with the outer surface of the packing. By this arrangement, when the valve disc is in neutral or closed position, moisture in the valve disc vented. This object also comprehends a guiding means which may be readily adjusted to compensate for wear.

By the crowning structure of the present invention, readily adjustable and easily replace- .able guide members are provided in the block of the crowning mechanism, so that when wear occurs, these guide members may be readily turned to expose a new guiding surface or, if necessary, the guides may be entirely replaced.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple mechanism to stop the operation of a filling machine when the bottlesmov- Y ing therethrough become jammed.

Heretofore, it has been customary to provide several mechanisms to stop the operation of a filling machine, one such mechanism being positioned at each joint in the path of travel of the bottles at which a jam mightoccur. By the present arrangement, only the trip device of such a mechanism is positioned at each of the points at which jamming might take place, the several trip mechanisms being operatively connected to a single stop control mechanism by an improved form of mechanical connection.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a stop control mechanism which includes brake means to bring the machine to a complete stop immediately upon the occurrence of a jam in the machine. In prior filling machines, devices to cause the machine to be stopped upon the occurrence of a jam have been provided, but these mechanisms have merely caused the controlling clutch of the machine-to be disengaged. If only the clutch is disengaged, it is of course possible for the moving elements of the machine to continue their operation for a short period of time and, during this interval, bottles may be broken or parts of the machine may be damaged. In the machine of the present invention, the control mechanism causes the clutch to be disengaged and also actuates-a brake which will immediately bring the machine to a complete stop so that the possibility of damage will be reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to provide an improved means to render the individual filling heads inoperative when no bottle is positioned beneath their filling nozzles.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following drawings, wherein like numerals refer to similar part throimhout the views. In the drawings: Figure 1 is av view of the machine, partly plan and partly in horizontal cross-section, a portion of the filling table and the cover of the filling reservoir being omitted.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the machine, a portion of the work table and also a number of the filling heads being'omitted.

3-2 of Figure 1, the filling table being omitted from this view.

Figure 4 is a detail central vertical sectional view showing an air pressure chamber within the filling table. 7

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through oneof the bottle supporting platforms of the filling table.

Figure '7 is a horizontal sectional view, taken in difierent planes, of the bottle supporting platform lifting mechanism.

Figure 8 is a development showing the position of the bottle supporting platforms of the filling table when opposite the work table, the view of the platforms being in side elevation.

Figure 9 is a detail view, partly in vertical longitudinal section, of the structure for supporting the counter-pressure and filling trip.

Figure 10 is a detail view, partly in vertical longitudinal section, showing the structure for supporting the neutral or closing trip.

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view, showing a bottle supporting platform and the mechanism for rendering the counter-pressure trip ineffective when no bottle is positioned upon a platform.

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view showing the mechanism for rendering the counter-pressure trip ineffective when no bottle is positioned upon a bottle supporting platform.

Figure 13 is a front elevation of one of the filiing heads.

Figure 14 is a view, partly in vertical section taken in a plane substantially radially of the filling mechanism, of one of the filling heads and diagrammatically showing the passages of the filling head as aligned for the counter-pressure stage of the filling cycle.

Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 14 diagrammatically showing the passages of a filling head as aligned for the filling stage of the filling cycle.

Figure 16 is a vertical transverse sectional view through one of the filling valve discs, showing the valve disc in neutral or closed position.

Figure 1'7 is a front view of one of the filling head valve bodies with the valve disc removed.

Figure 18 is a sectional view taken on the line lO-ll of Figure 16. I

Figure 19 is a detail view of the crowning mechanism, the view being partly in vertical section, the two sections illustrated being taken in different planes.

Figure 20 is a top view of the crowning mechanism, a portion being shown in horizontal section.

Figure 21 is a diagrammatic view showing the devices included in the fiuid pressure circuit which controls the operation of the machine, the figure including a vertical sectional view through a brake device for preventing overrunning of the machine.

Figure 22 is a detail view, partly in vertical section, showing a modified arrangement for maintaining pressure beneath the bottle supporting platform.

Figure 23 is a view, partly in central longitudinal section, of a reservoir for maintaining pressure in the system disclosed in Figure 22, and

Figure 24 is a vertical sectional view on the line 24-24 of Figure 23.

The filling machine of the present invention is illustrated in general assembly in Figures 1, 2

I 2,202,088 Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line and 3 and comprises a fixed or work table 4|, a filling mechanism 42 and a crowning mechanism 43, the filling mechanism being supported 'adjacent the fixed table 4| upon a standard 44 and hollow posts projecting upwardly from the lat- .ter.' The crowning mechanism 42 is supported upon a non-rotatable post 45 (Figure 3) and the crowning heads are moved about post 45 by a hollow shaft 46 which rotates about this post.

As is best shown in Figure l, a straight line endless conveyor 41 having its upper run flush with the level of the work table 4| moves bottles into the machine at 48, the bottles being removed from the conveyor 41 by an infeed dial 4!. The

bottles are moved about the dial 49 in a counterclockwise direction to the rotary filling table 42. During the movement about the filling mechanism 42, the bottles are filled with any desired liquid, in the present instance, beer. The filled bottles are removed from the filling mechanism by an outfeed dial 5!! which moves them, in a counterclockwise direction, to a rotary table 5| fixed to the'rotary shaft 46 of the crowning mechanism. From the crowning mechanism, the bottles move upon the outfeed end of the straight line conveyor 41 which carries them from the filling machine to a pasteurizer.

It will be understood that the endless conveyor 41 moving entirely through the machine may be replaced by a straight line endless conveyor, driven from the present filling machine, for feeding empty bottles to the machine, and an additional straight line conveyor, driven from a pasteurizer, to remove bottles from the filling machine and convey them to the pasteurizer.

The entire machine is supported upon a base 55 which has side walls 56 and 51 extending upwardly from the forward portion thereof to support the work table 48. These walls are joined by a front wall, not shown, and, with the latter wall, form a casing for the driving mechanism of the machine.

The driving mechanism and gearing The machine is driven by means of an electric motor 60 shown in Figure 3, the shaft of which carries a speed changing mechanism 6|, preferably of the Reeves type, and comprising two opposed disc-shaped drums, indicated in dotted lines, mounted upon the shaft and pressed toward each other by a spring, not shown. An endless belt 62 moves between the opposed drums and drives a pulley 63 included in a fluid pressure controlled clutch 64 carried by a worm shaft 65 which forms part of a gear reducing mechanism 8G. A braking device 61 is provided on the opposite end of the worm shaft 65, which end projects from the casing of the gear changing'mechanism 66.

The. base of the motor 80 is slidably fitted in guideways II, the motor being moved in the slideways by means of a threaded shaft 14 extending through the side wall 58 of the casing and provided at its outer end with an operating handle. By this arrangement, the position of the motor relative to the gear reducing mechanism '2 may be variedto change the point of engagement of the belt 82 upon the opposed drums 6i and with respect to the axis of the drums, thereby changing the speed at which the machine is operated. The brake device 5'! is disengaged from the worm shaft 25 when the fluid pressure clutch 64 is engaged. The operation of these devices will be subsequently described.

A vertical shaft having a pinion I5 fixed thereto is included in the gear reducing mechanism 68 and drives a pinion I8 fixed to a vertical shaft i'l which carries the outfeed dial 50. The shaft TI is journalled in the work table 4| and also in vwebs I8 and .19 extending between the vertical supporting walls of the work table in planes parallel to the surface of the table. A pinion 88 fixed to the shaft 11 engages a large ring gear 8| fixed to the rotary table of the filling mechanism 42 to turn the table. A stub shaft 82 journalled in both the work table and the web 18 carries the infeed dial 49 and has a pinion 83 secured thereto meshing with the ring gear 8| to drive the infeed dial 49. The rotary tubular shaft 46 of the crowning mechanism is journalled in a sleeve 84 formed integral with the supportingwalls of the work table and carries a pinion 85 adjacent its lower end which meshes with and is driven by the pinion I6.

A beveled gear 86 is fixed to the outfeed dial shaft I1 and drives the straight line conveyor 41 by means of driving connections arranged in any well known manner.

In order to insure that the bottles will be fed to the infeed dial 49 in properly spaced relation,

a gate mechanism 81 is provided at the infeed end 48 of the endless conveyor 41. The mechanism 8! is identical with that disclosed in the application of Wiltie I. Gladfelter, Ser. No. 626,151, filed July 29, 1932, Bottle capping machine.

In order to prevent bottles from becoming jammed adjacent the infeed dial 49, a trip mechanism 88 is provided alongside the endless conveyor 41, preferably substantially opposite the gate mechanism 81. The mechanism 88 is also substantially identical with the corresponding structure disclosed in the above mentioned Gladfelter application and includes a guide plate 89 extending parallel with the course of the endless conveyor 47, the plate 89 being pivoted at a point 98 adjacent its outer end. In the event that bottles become jammed opposite the plate 89, the plate will swing outwardly and thereby actuate a control mechanism to stop the machine. A preferred form of connection which may be used to operate the control mechanism from the plate 89 will be hereinafter described.

As shown in Figure l, a guide plate 9| is fixed upon the work table 4| to guide the movements of the bottles upon this table. The plate 9| has the inner portion of its perimeter shaped to define a path of movement for the bottles engaged by the infeed dial 49 so that the bottles moving about this dial will be properly guided to the bottle supporting platforms upon the filling table.

The plate 9| likewise defines a course of travel for the bottles moving'with the outfeed dial 58 and retains them in the bottle pockets of the dial during their movement to the dial 52 of the rotary table 5| beneath the crowning mechanism. As shown in Figure 1, the plate 9| includes an extension 9Ia projecting between the crowning mechanism dial 5? and the rotary crowning table 5| to insure that the bottles will be properly fed to the crowning mechan sm. The guide plate 9| is so shaped at its right-hand edge that the bottles will move from the crowning mechanism at a tangent to the rotary table 5I- and then upon the outfeed end of the endless conveyor 41.

Guide plates 93 and 94, respectively, are also positioned about the course of travel of the bottles through the crowning mechanism, both of these plates being adjustable with respect to the axis of the crowning mechanism to permit the width of the path of travel 01 the bottles to be varied sq that bottles of various sizes may be moved through the machine.

A mechanism 95 to prevent jamming of bottles is provided at the outfeed end of the machine, this mechanism including a plate 96 pivoted at a point 91 adjacent its outer end. This mechanism operates in the same manner as does the mechanism 88 at the infeed end of the machine. In order to eliminate the necessity of a stop control mechanism at each of the trip mechanisms 88 and 95, rods 98 are operatively connected to the plates 89 and 96. As shown in Figure 1, the outer ends of the rods 98 are connected to the plates, the inner ends of the rods having clevis members including pins I88 threadedly connected thereto and suitably held in position by means of lock nuts. Each pin extends through a slot 99 in one of a pairof lugs IIII provided on diametrically opposite sides of a shaft I82. As shown in Figure 1, the lugs are slotted so that one rod 98 may exert a pulling action upon the shaft I82 without affecting the other rod, the pin connected to the latter rod then moving freely in the slot of its associated lug. The shaft I82 also includes an arm I83 which actuates an air control valve assembly I84 when the shaft is turned by the action of the rods 98. The air control valve assembly I84 is of the same construction as the corresponding valve assemblies shown in the above mentioned Gladfelter application. The mechanism or circuit through which actuation of the air control valve assembly will stop the machine will be hereinafter described.

The bottle spacing mechanism 81 and the jam preventing trip mechanisms 88 and 95 are so secured to the table 4| that their positions may be adjusted to permit the passage of runs of bottles of different sizes past the same. Also, the infeed dial 49, outfeed dial 58 and the crowning mechanism dial 52 are so secured upon their shafts that they may be readily removed and replaced by dials having pockets therein to fit runs of bottles of different sizes.

The means for vertically adjusting the filling and crowning mechanisms The filling mechanism 42 and the crowning mechanism 43 are so designed that the operating heads of these structures may be vertically adjusted to enable the mechanisms to operate upon The gear H8 is adapted to be rotated by a worm III fixed to a shaft H2 extending through the front wall of the machine. The post 45 is held against rotation by a key I I3 which fits in a keyway or slot extending vertically of the post. By this arrangement, rotation of the shaft IIZ will rotate the worm gear H8, resulting in vertical movement of the post 45 and the crowning mechanism-43.

The table N5 of the filling mechanism 42 rotates about a fixed tubular member H8 which extends upwardly from the standard 44, the

table being supported upon bearings II'l pro-' vided at the upper end of the standard and surrounding the member III; as shown in Figure 2.

The table-like casting I28 which, at its central portion, supports the filling reservoir IZI and has the filling heads secured to its periphery, is supported for vertical adjustment with respect to the table N5 of the filling mechanism by the struca key block M6 guided for radial movement in a recess I21 in the inner wall of the depending tubular member I 2 5. The key block I28 has a threaded stud 828 projecting from its rear surface, the inner end 01 the stud being rotatably connected to the key block 3265 and having its threaded portion engaging a threaded bore in the wall of the tubular member 626. The outer end of the stud 628 is headed so that it may be engaged by a wrench, and a lock nut may be provided upon the stud to hold'it in proper position. When the key block i226 is withdrawn from the keyway M5, the casting I and the filling heads carried thereby may be turned upon the threaded sleeve I22 and with respect to the table H5 and the bottle supporting platforms carried by the latter to either raise or lower the filling heads. The provision of the key block and keyway will insure that the casting H20 may be repositioned in such a manner that the filling heads and bottlesupporting platforms can be properly aligned after adjustment.

The mechanism for lifting the bottle supporting platforms The machine illustrated in the present invention is provided with forty filling heads and a corresponding number of bottle supporting platforms. The infeed and outfeed dials 49 and 50, respectively, and ,the dial 52 of the crowning mechanism are each provided with six pockets, in order to keep pace with the filling mechanism.

Referring to Figure 6, the bottle supporting platforms are designated by the numeral I30. Each bottle supporting platform includes a bottle engaging member I3I which is secured to an upstanding shoulder I32 integral with the rear side of the platform by a releasable engaging means in order that the members I3I may be removed and replaced by corresponding members adapted to fit bottles of other sizes. An upwardly extending arcuate fiange I33 is provided upon each bottle engaging member I3I, this fiange being spaced from the shoulder I82 in order that the extension 8Ia on the guide plate 9| fixed to the stationary table may pass beneath-the flange I33. The extension 9Ia is provided for the purpose of guiding bottles to and from the bottle supporting platforms.

A'piston I34 including a depending skirt I35 is fixed to each bottle supporting platform I30, the skirts I35 being reciprocable in collars I86 equidistantly spaced about the filling table II5 adjacent the periphery of the latter, the collars forming bearing apertures for the sleeves I35. As

shown in Figure 7, angle members I3'I extend downwardly from the filling table II5 between the depending sleeves I35, a ring I33 of substantially the same diameter as the filling table being secured to the lower ends of the angle members. A stationary tube I39 is positioned within each of the reciprocable sleeves I35, the lower end of each tube being secured in a fitting I40 bolted or otherwise suitably held upon the underside of the ring I30. The upper ends of the tubes'are open, the tubes thus cooperating with the skirted pistons to form chambers.

Each fitting I40 is provided with an angled passage I40a which communicates with the interior of the tube I39 and also with a circular manifold pipe extending about the filling table beneath and within the ring I38, the manifold pipe I preferably being secured to each fitting M0 by blocks I42 through which the pipe MI extends, the blocks being fixed to the fittings M0 by means of bolts or the like. A packing I43 contacting with the inner wall of the depending sleeve 535 is secured to the upper end of each tube 539 by means of a flanged collar I64, the packing serving to prevent the escape of any fiuid from between the tube and the surrounding skirt and thereby sealing the chamber associated with each bottle supporting platform.

The manifold Mi is connected to a pressure reservoir 845 (Figure 2) within the stationary tubular member H6 about which the filling table M5 rotates, by means of a pipe M6 which extends upwardly from the manifold I8! between two of the depending sleeves 135 as shown in Figure 7. In the embodiment of the machine illustrated in Figure 2, a constant pressure of air is maintained in the pressure reservoir I45, pipe I46, manifold MI, and the chambers formed by the tubes I39 and the skirted pistons, this pressure preferably being maintained at approximately sixty pounds. ,Air is supplied to the reservoir 645 through a pipe 5a.

As shown in Figure 2, the tubular member H6 which defines the chamber I45 is closed at both ends and, substantially midway of its length, and within the portion which extends through the table II5, it is, as best shown in Figures 4 and 5. provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures I41. A collar I48 surrounds this portion of the tubular member IIG, the collar being recessed to accommodate a ring I49 which is provided at its upper and lower ends with inwardly and outwardly extending flanges I50 as shown in Figure 4. The ring is also provided with circumferentially spaced apertures or ports III. The inner end of the pipe I46 extends through the hub portion of the table I I 5 opposite the ring I49. The flanges I50 on the ring 149 will provide flow passages within and without the ring so that air from the chamber I45 may flow through the ports I41 in the tubular member H6 and thence through the ,ports' I5I in the ring I49 to the pipe I43 when these ports are not in alignment. Packing rings I52 are positioned above and below the ring 449 within the recess of the collar I48 to effectively seal the pressure chambet and fluid circuit at this point. A drain I53 may be provided for the chamber I45 as shown in Figure 2.

The inner end of pipe I46 preferably extends into the collar I48 and a locking pin I48a may also extend through the hub of the table and into the collar I48 so that the latter will rotate with the table H5.

I 2,202,088 outer ends, the rollers I58 being held in positionon the studs by means of headed machine screws I59. A cam track I60, which is arcuate in horizontal section, is fixed to the stationary portion of the machine on the inner side of the path of turning movement of the bottle supporting platforms I30 with the filling table. The cam track is so arranged that the rollers I58 of the bottle supporting platformswill contact with the undersurface thereof to draw the bottle supporting platforms downwardly to position their bottle supporting surfaces flush with the surface of the work table 4I when adjacent the latter.

As shown diagrammatically in Figure 8, the approach portion II of the cam track, that is, the portion with which the cam rollers first con tact, is downwardly inclined while the opposite or exit end I62 of the track is upwardly inclined, the inclination of the portion I62 preferably being somewhat sharper than that of the portion IGI.

The downward movement of the bottle supporting platforms is accomplished against the pressure in the fluid pressure circuit acting upon the piston I34 included on each bottle supporting platform. Because of the fact that at the moment that one bottle supporting platform moves opposite the cam I80 to be drawn downwardly, another 'bottle supporting platform will be moving out of engagementwith the cam, the pressure in the fluid circuit will be maintained substantially constant. That is to say, the fluid which is driven from one bottle supporting platform will be distributed in the circuit to-raise another platform.

It will be noted by the above arrangement, it is unnecessary to provide any valves in the pressure circuit and since the fluid is not exhausted from the circuit, it is unnecessary to have a constantly acting pump connected to the circuit. Furthermore, because of the fact that the depending sleeves I35 entirely surround and enclose the upwardly projecting tubes I39, beer which may overflow from bottles cannot come in contact with the outer walls of the tubes I39 and be deposited thereon. Beer deposited in this manner becomes gummy and retards the reciprocation of the platforms.

As shown in Figure 6, the collar members I36 through which the sleeves I35 move each has a boss I36a at its upper end, the upper surface of the boss being downwardly inclined to direct overflowing liquid from the bearing aperture of the collar member. Also, as shown in Figures 6 and 8 the bottle platforms I30 are of much greater area in a horizontal plane than the cylinders I35, with the result that any liquid overflowing from the platforms I30 will not drop or normally come adjacent the bearing apertures of the collar members.

Lubricant may be supplied to the platform lifting pressure circuit at any desired point to insure that the sleeve pistons and the tubes upon which the latter move will be properly lubricated.

The filling trips In the normal operation of the machine, as a bottle supporting platform I30 carried by the rotating filling table 42 and moving in the direction of the arrow in Figure 8 approaches the work table M from the right (Figures 1 and 8 the roller I58 provided on that bottle supporting platform will contact with the fixed cam track I provided adjacent the inner side of the path of movement of the bottle supporting platforms.

Contact of a roller I58 with the cam causes the bottle supporting platform to which that roller is attached to be drawn downwardly from the position shown at A in Figure 8 to the position shown at B, wherein the upper surface of the bottle supporting platform is fiushwith the surface of the work table. The outfeed dial 50 will remove the filled bottle from the platform and direct it to the crowning'mechanism. As the rotation of the filling table continues, the roller I58 will remain beneath the lowest portion of the cam track I 80 while the platform moves to the position indicated at C, at'which time the infeed dial 49 will place an empty bottle upon the platform.

The filling mechanism 42 is provided with forty filling heads I80, one positioned above each of the bottle platforms I30 and supported upon the periphery of the casting I20 upon which thefilling reservoir IZI is supported. Each filling head comprises a body portion I8! provided with a rotatable filling valve disc I82 to control the fiow of liquid and air therethrough in a manner hereinafter described. Each filling head is also provided with a filling nozzle I 83 having a centering bell I84 slidably mounted thereon. Integral with each filling valve disc I82 is a down wardly extending valve lever or arm I85 and an upwardly extending valve lever or arm I06, the two arms being formed integrally and arranged at an angle with respect to each other as shown in Figures 8 and 13. The downwardly extending arm I85 is provided with an outwardly projecting or offset portion I-BI.

After a bottle is received upon a platform I30 from the infeed dial it, the continued rotation of the filling table H will cause the roller I58 of the platform to move upwardly, this movement occurring almost immediately the platform has moved past the position at which the bottle is placed thereon. As has been heretofore explained, fluid under pressure will immediately act through the manifold MI and tube I39 associated with that platform to raise the latter so that the bottle positioned upon the platform will be moved upwardly against the interior of the centering hell I 84 positioned above the platform. The centering bell is provided with an inwardly inclined inner wall to insure that the bottle is centered on the platform so that its mouth will move up about the filling nozzle Itt, The fluid which raises the bottle platform is under sufficient pressure to hold the bottle pressed against the interior of the centering bell and thus provide a tight seal between the mouth of the bottle and the bell.

The integral valve arms I85 and I 86 of each filling head are adapted to be moved to various positions during the rotation of the filling mechanism to successively move the filling valve disc I82 of a head to counter-pressure position, filling position, and neutral or closed position, as shown in Figure 13. The movement of each valve to these positions is accomplished by means of trips spaced about the path of turning movement of the filling mechanism. As is shown in plan in Figure 1 and in vertical section in'Figure 8,.these 

